Stormwater/Wastewater Project Advisory Committee

Project Scope

This project considers development of a stormwater utility as a separate enterprise fund dedicated to operation, maintenance, and improvements to the City’s stormwater system. Currently funding is limited to reactive repairs of facilities at or near failure. Limited funding is provided through the community’s Wastewater and Street Funds. This funding approach does not allocate costs based on use of the stormwater system, but rather to funding sources designed to share in costs based on demands for wastewater and street services. Over the past forty years dozens of Oregon communities have elected to create a stormwater utility that provides stable and equitable funding.

Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality has enacted significant, costly, and long-term regulatory requirements for both the stormwater and wastewater systems. The Project Advisory Committee will consider these regulatory requirements, the operating and capital expenses to meet these demands and the community’s values for protecting our environment. Development of user fees for the stormwater system and updating wastewater user fees and Systems Development Charges are central to the committee’s consideration and recommendations.